Conveyer and guide



March 8, 1949. A BROADMEYER 2,464,173

CONVEYER AND GUIDE Filed NOV. 2, 1945 &

flbertBroadnu ger z Patented Mar. 8, 1 949 UNITED STATES RATENT OFFICE.

13 Claims.

This invention relates toconveying mechanisms for paper or like sheets,.and is concerned particularly with improvements in means for positioningsheets relative to a conveyor by urging them laterally against a guiderail as they are advanced by the conveyor.

In accordance with. known practice, the present means for the purposestated comprises, generally speaking, one or more rollers mountedforperipheral contact withthe advancing sheets and having its axis or theiraxes of rotation inclined tothe direction of advance of the sheets,whereby the sheets are urged laterally-against a guide rail as they areadvanced. Heretofore, such rollers usually have been disposed to havethe sheets pass thereover and weight elements usually have been providedto rest upon the sheets to hold them engaged with the rollers. Moreover,the rollers usually have been driven by means other than the sheetsthemselves to' accomplish their purpose.

Generally speaking, the object of the present invention is to provideinclined roller means for the purpose stated which are considerablysimplilied and more efficient than prior inclined roller means for thesame purpose.

More particularly, special and important objects of the presentinvention are: to provide inclined roller means for the purpose statedwhich are readily adaptable to operate equally aswell upon paper orother sheets of different weights and textures and which are notrequired to be driven by means other than the advancing sheetsthemselves to urge the sheets against a guide rail.

With the foregoing and other objects in view, which will become morefully apparent as the nature of the invention is better understood, thesame consists in inclined roller means for the purpose stated embodyingthe novel features of construction, combination and arrangement of partsas will be hereinafter more fully described, illustrated in theaccompanying drawings and defined in the appended claims.

In the accompanying drawings, wherein. like characters of referencedenote corresponding parts in the different views:

Fig. 1 is a top planview of a sheet conveying mechanism embodying sheetpositioning means constructed and arranged in accordance with theinvention;

Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the mechanism shown in Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is an. enlarged top plan view of one of the sheet positioning.inclined roller devices;

Fig. 4 is an enlarged side elevation: of one of the sheet positioninginclined roller devices; and

Fig... 5' is a. transverse section.

Referring. to the drawings. in detail, A designates. generally. aportionof a sheet conveyor of a known type comprising a plurality of endlesstapes lfi trained over a pair of rollers I l and i2, and B designates,generally, a. guide for the sheets located atone side of the conveyor A.

The tapes lzil andthelrollersz. H and lit are Underlying and supportingtheupper. or active; reach of the said outermost. tape Ill is a bar l6which. is substantially .coextensive with the guide B and which maybemounted, for. exampleyuponthe vertical flange M of saidguide- Thesheets s of paper or the like;toz be ads van-cedby the conveyor A maybefed tothe upper or active reaches of the tapes Ill-in any suitablemanner,. and the purposeof the present inventionis to provide improvedmeans forurgingthe sheetslaterally outward: as they are adv-ancedto.

cause their outer edges-to engage the guide rail constituted by thevertical flange |4i 0fthe-guide B,.whereby they will be properlypositioned when.

they. reach the discharge end of the conveyor to be fed. to a printingor other mechanism which operates upon them.

The means for urging thesheetss'laterally as.

they are advanced may comprise only a. single device Clocated at anysuitable pointalong the: length. of the. conveyor; A, or a plurality of.devices C located at suitably spaced points along the. length of saidconveyor.

Preferably the said means comprisesa plurality:

of the devices C and preferably said devices are;

duplicates of one another. tion of onewillsuffice for all.

Thus, any, given device C comprises: asblock l1 resting upon the. topflange: H of the? guide 3 and. pivoted intermediate its ends; to 'saidtop flange, asindicated at! ill; for; rotaryadjustment in asubstantially horizontal. plane.

Therefore a:- descrip- At its end nearer the discharge end of theconveyor A the block i! has suitably pivoted thereto, as indicated atl9, one end of an arm 20, whereby said arm is swingable is a verticalplane relative to said block and also is swingably adjustable in ahorizontal plane in harmony with rotative adjustments of said block.

At its free end the arm 23 carries a suitable roller 2|, while in theflange lb of the guide B is an opening 22 through which said rollerextends for peripheral contact at its bottom with the upper face of themarginal portion of a sheet s resting upon the conveyor tapes it]. Thebar i6 supports the outermost tape ill and the outer marginal portion ofthe sheet s against downward movement and the roller 2! overlies saidbar and the said marginal portion of the sheet with which it ismaintained engaged by its own weight and the weight of said arm. Thus,as the upper or active reaches of the conveyor tapes I are advanced inthe direction of the arrow a and advance the sheet s resting thereon,the frictional contact between the sheet and the roller results inrotation of the roller in the direction of the arrow 1) in Fig. 4. Theroller 2| has its axis of rotation disposed at an inward and forwardinclination relative to the conveyor A. In other words, the rolleritself is disposed in a vertical plane inclined forwardly and outwardlyrelative to the conveyor A. Consequently, as said roller is rotated byadvance of the sheet 3 it tends constantly to urge the sheet laterallyoutward. It results, therefore, that as the sheet is advanced it isurged outwardly to bring its outer edge into engagement with the innerface of the vertical flange M of the guide B and to maintain suchengagement, whereby, when it reaches the discharge end of the conveyor,it will be properly positioned to be fed to a printing or othermechanism for operating upon the same.

While any suitable means may be provided for rotatably adjusting theblock H to secure a desired angular adjustment of the roller 2i relativeto the conveyor A, one suitable and practical means for this purpose mayconsist, as shown, of a screw member 23 threaded through a post 24,swiveled to said block ll and extending loosely through a bracket 25fastened to the guide B. The screw member may have a shoulder 23'engaging the outer face of the bracket 25 and an expansion helicalspring 26 may surround said screw member between said bracket to tendconstantly to swing the rear end of the block ll inwardly. Obviously,therefore, by rotatably adjusting said screw member, fine angularadjustments of the roller 2i may be obtained and will be maintained. Inthis connection it is a desirable and advantageous feature of theinvention that the screw member 23 is exposed for ready and convenientadjustment at any time, which is of importance in securing just therequired angular adjustment of the roller 2i to urge the sheet s againstthe guide rail 14 without imposing undesirable drag upon the sheet. Tofacilitate adjustment of the screw member 23, the same may be providedwith a knurled head 21.

Although dependence may be placed solely in the weight of the arm 20 andthe roller 2! to maintain pressure of said roller against the sheet s,adjustable means preferably is provided whereby the pressure of saidroller against said sheet may be varied. This means may be of anysuitable form and is illustrated in the drawings as comprising a rod 28carried by the arm 20 and extending in overlying relationship theretoand having a weight 29 slidably adjustable therealong. A set screw 30may be carried by said weight for cooperation with said rod to maintainany desired adjustment of said weight. Obviously, by adjusting saidweight along the rod 28 the pressure of the roller 24 against the sheet3 may be varied, which is of importance in adapting the mechanism tooperate most effectively upon sheets of different weights and textures.The rods 28 and the weights 29 are not shown in Fig. 1 in order to avoidconfusion.

If a plurality of the devices C are provided at spaced intervals alongthe length of the conveyor, said devices obviously will act successivelyupon sheets advanced by the conveyor. The roller 2! preferably issupported by an antifriction bearing whereby it is freely rotatable andits peripheral portion preferably is composed of rubber or othersuitable friction material for firm engagement with the sheets 8.

From the foregoing description considered in connection with theaccompanying drawings it is believed that the construction and operationof the present mechanism will be clearly understood and its advantagesappreciated. It is desired to point out, however, that while only asingle specific structural embodiment of the invention has beenillustrated and described, the same is readily capable of specificallydifferent structural embodiments within its spirit and scope as definedin the appended claims.

I claim:

1. In a sheet conveying mechanism, a sheet supporting and conveyingmember, a guide rail for supporting said member and to be engaged by anedge of a sheet supported by and being conveyed by said member, a rollermounted above T the guide rail to rest upon and to be rotated by thesheet as the latter is advanced by the conveying member over the guiderail, and means mounting said roller for free downward movement intoengagement with the sheet and for adjustment to different inclinationsrelative to the conveying member to cause it to urge the sheet laterallyagainst said guide rail as it is rotated.

2. In a sheet conveying mechanism, a sheet supporting and conveyingmember, means to support said member against downward movement, a guiderail to be engaged by a side edge of a sheet supported by and beingadvanced by said conveying member, and a roller mounted to gravitateinto engagement with a sheet supported by said conveying member and tobe rotated by the sheet as the latter is advanced, the downward movementof the roller being limited by the supporting means for the conveyingelement, and 'said roller being disposed at an inclination to theconveying member such that its rotation by the advancing sheet urges thesheet laterally into engagement with said guide rail.

3. In a sheet conveying mechanism, a sheet supporting and conveyingmember, a guide rail to be engaged by an edge of a sheet supported byand being conveyed by said member, a block pivoted for rotativeadjustments in a horizontal plane, an arm pivoted at one end to saidblock for vertical swinging movement relative thereto and for rotativeadjustment in a horizontal plane therewith, a roller carried by theother end of said arm to gravitate into engagement with a sheetsupported by said conveying memberand to be rotated by the sheet as thelatter is adasee, 17s" vanced, and means for rotatively adjusting saidblock to and holding it me. position to dispose said roller at. aninclination to the conveyin member to cause it to urge the sheetlaterally i to engagement With said guide rail as it is rotated byadvance of the sheet.

4. A sheet conveying mechanism set forth in claim 3 in which the blockadjustin means comprises a fixed bracket. a screw men oer exte looselythrough. said bracket and having a sh der engageable with the outer sidethereof, a post swiveled to the block and having said screw memberthreaded therein, and an expansion spring interposed between saidbracket and said post.

5. A sheet conveying mechanism as set forth in claim 3 in which a rod iscarried by and overlies the arm, and in which a weight element isadjustable along said rod to vary the pressure of the roller upon thesheet.

6. In a sheet conveying: mechanism, an endless sheet supporting andconveying tape including a lower reach and an upper or active reach, anangle member extending contiguously to said up per reach, said anglemember including a horizontal flange overlying said upper reach avertical flange disposed at the outer side thereof, supporting bar forsaid upper reach underlying the same and carried by said verticalflange, a block pivoted to horizontal flange for rotative adjustments ina horizontal plane, an arm pivoted at one end to said block for verticalswinging movement relative thereto and for rotative adjustmentstherewith, a roller carried by the other end of said arm to gravitateinto peripheral engagement with a sheet supported by said upper reach,and to be rotated by the sheet as the latter is advanced, said upperflange having an opening through which said roller may gravitate intoengagement with the sheet, and means for rotatively adjusting said blockto adjust said roller to an inclination relative to said upper reach tocause said roller to urge the sheet laterally outward against saidvertical flange as it is rotated by advance of the sheet.

7. A sheet conveying mechanism as set forth in claim 6 includingadjustable Weight means carried by the arm to vary the pressure of theroller against the sheet.

8. A sheet conveying mechanism as set forth in claim 6 in which themeans for rotatively adjusting the block comprises a screw member havinga head exposed at the outer side of and above the angle member for freeaccess at all times to eiiect the adjustments.

9. In a sheet conveying mechanism, a sheet supporting and conveyingmember composed of a plurality of spaced endless tapes disposed inparallel relation to each other, a guide rail for supporting one of theoutermost of said tapes to prevent downward movement thereof and to beengaged by an edge of a sheet supported by and being conveyed by saidconveying member, means mounted above the guide rail and the said one ofthe outermost tapes of the conveying element to rest upon and to berotated by the sheet as the latter is advanced, and means mounting saidfirst-named means for free downward movement into engagement With thatportion of the sheet overlying the said tape supported by the guide railand for adjustment to different inclinations relative to the efiectivepath of movement of the conveying member to cause the same to urge thesheet laterally against said guide rail as it is rotated.

10. In a sheet conveying mechanism, a sheet 6 supporting and conveyingmember, a guide rail" for supporting one of the outer edge portions ofsaid member to prevent downward movement thereof and to be engaged by anedge of a sheet supported by and being conveyed by said member, atifriction means mounted above the guide rail and the said outer edgeportion of the member to be supported thereby so as to rest upon and beactuated by the sheet as the latter is.

advanced, and means mounting said anti-friction means for free downwardmovement. into engagement with that portion of the sheet overlying theportion of the member supported by the guide rail and for adjustment todifferent inclinations relative to the effective path of movement of theconveying member to cause said anti-friction means to urge the sheetlaterally against said guide rail as said anti-friction means isactuated.

11. In a sheet conveying mechanism, a sheet supporting and conveyingmember, a guide rail to be engaged by an edge of a sheet supported byand being conveyed by said member, an element mounted for rotativeadjustments in a horizontal plane, an arm movably connected to saidelement for vertical movement relative thereto and for rotativeadjustment in a horizontal plane therewith, rotatable means carried bythe other end of said arm to gravitate into engagement with a sheetsupported by said conveying member and to be rotated by the sheet as thelatter is advanced, and means for rotatively adjusting said element toand for holding the latter in a position. to dispose said rotatablemeans at an inclination to the conveying member to cause the same tourge the sheet laterally into engagement with said guide rail as it isrotated by advance of the sheet.

12. In a sheet conveying mechanism, a sheet supporting and conveyingmember, a guide rail for supporting one of the outer edge portions ofsaid member to prevent downward movement thereof and to be engaged by anedge of a sheet supported by and being conveyed by said member, anelement mounted for rotative adjustments in a horizontal plane, an armmovably connected to said element for vertical movement relative theretoand for rotative adjustment in a horizontal plane therewith, rotatablemeans carried by the other end of said arm to gravitate into engagementwith a sheet supported by said conveying member at a point above saidouter edge portion of the conveying m mber which is supported by theguide rail and to be rotated by the sheet as the latter is advanced, andmeans for rotatively adjusting said element to and for holding thelatter in a position to dispose said rotatable means at an inclinationto the conveying member to cause the same to urge the sheet laterallyinto engagement with said guide rail as it is rotated by advance of thesheet.

13. In a sheet conveying mechanism, a sheet supporting and conveyingmember, a guide rail to be engaged by an edge of a sheet supported byand being conveyed by said member, means carried by the guide rail forsupporting the adjacent portion of the active part of the conveyingmember, an element mounted for rotative adjustments in a horizontalplane, an arm movably connected to said element for vertical movementrelative thereto and for rotative adjustment in a horizontal planetherewith, rotatable means carried by the other end of said arm abovethat portion of the conveying member supported by the supporting meanscarried by the guide rail so as to gravitate into engagement REFERENCESCITED with a she t supported by id [conveying m m- The followingreferences are of record in the her, and to be rotated by the sheet asthe latter file of this p t nt: is advanced, and means for rotativelyadjusting 5 i said element to and for holding the latter in a UNITEDSTATES PATENTS position to dispose said rotatable means at an NumberName Date inclination to the conveying member to cause the 252,477Kneeland J 1332 same to urge the sheet laterally into engagement2,300,625 Martin NOV. 3, 942 with said guide rail as it is rotated byadvance l0 FOREIGN PATENTS of the sheet.

Number Country Date ALBERT BROADMEYERL 520,923 Germany Mar. 16, 1931

